


Better Together

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkwardness, Dating, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, POV Danny "Danno" Williams, Post-Episode: s07e16 Poniu I Ke Aloha (Crazy in Love), everyone is bi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 08:04:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10827189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: About a month later, when Steve and Danny had settled into their new relationship and Danny could definitively label things as "good," they ran into Melissa at a restaurant while they were waiting for a table.





	Better Together

**Author's Note:**

> Written back in February (right after the episode aired) for the challenge "together" at fan-flashworks. Originally posted here: http://fan-flashworks.livejournal.com/778102.html

The next time they were all together was not on a double date. That would have been tremendously awkward considering what happened the next day.

According to Steve, the day after their double date, Lynn sat down with him for a long talk and asked him point blank if he was in love with Danny. Steve had been unable to deny the truth to Lynn.

Steve had glanced away during this point in the retelling. "She said the thing with the arm around you and playing with your ear at dinner was really obvious. And she definitely didn't think I was judging you while you were trying to be romantic with Melissa."

Those facts, coupled with the fact that Steve had ended up spending most of his time with Danny that day even though he thought the sunglasses thing was stupid, showed Lynn how Steve really felt. Apparently, Lynn was not willing to continue a relationship if her boyfriend was hung up on someone else.

A few days later, Steve showed up at Danny's house to talk to him, but Melissa was there as well. With a stricken look on his face, Steve had said that maybe he should leave.

"No, I think I'm the one who needs to leave," Melissa had said. She shrugged Danny's arm off her shoulders and stood up. She gave Danny a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm bowing out."

"You're... you're bowing out?" Danny had asked.

Melissa nodded. "Lynn and I have kept in touch since the double date. You'll understand in a little bit." She walked past Steve and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. She whispered something to Steve that resembled the phrase "good luck" before she left Danny's home.

At the time, Danny had no idea what was going on. Steve's explanation illuminated things, and the kiss afterwards... well, that was just something the both of them wanted.

None of Steve and Danny's friends were surprised by their changed relationship status. When they announced it to the others on the team, Kono had beamed and said that she "knew it all along." Chin was a little more restrained and remarked that it "wasn't exactly a huge surprise." Lou shook his head and said that it was "about damn time already" and commented that they "act more like an old married couple than me and Renée." A few minutes later, Danny noticed some money exchanging hands (it seemed to be heading Kono's way) but decided to ignore his coworker's weird betting scheme for his own sanity.

The transition from friends and partners to something more with Steve was surprisingly natural for Danny. There wasn't any of the awkwardness Danny usually felt in a new relationship, when Danny felt compelled to present the best possible version of himself and hide his flaws (like his occasional antisocial tendencies). Steve already knew everything about him and accepted him in spite of his issues. ("I love you _because_ of those 'issues,'" Steve declared before smothering Danny's face in kisses). Danny had genuinely enjoyed his time with Melissa, for the most part, but he had always struggled to be more romantic or emotionally intimate with her. With Steve, the emotional intimacy was already there and the romantic words and gestures flowed easily. ("You gave me a $2,000 guitar on a whim, Danno. I'm not worried about you not being romantic enough.")

Overall, it just felt right to be with Steve. When Steve put his arm around him or kissed him or held Danny while they slept, Danny knew that this was exactly how it was supposed to be, with a greater certainty than he had ever felt in any of his past relationships. Danny kind of wondered why it had taken so long for them to be together in the first place.

About a month later, when Steve and Danny had settled into their new relationship and Danny could definitively label things as "good," they ran into Melissa at a restaurant while they were waiting for a table.

"Hey guys, I wasn't expecting to see you again." She sat down on the long bench next to them in the waiting area and smiled over at them.

Danny had stiffened when he first saw Melissa, unsure how she would react to seeing him with Steve on a date, but she seemed unruffled by the whole thing and genuinely pleased to see them. Danny relaxed and leaned up against the arm Steve had wrapped around him.

"Are you guys on a date or something?" she asked.

"We are," Steve replied. Danny shot a glance over at Steve and saw that he was grinning.

Melissa's smile didn't fade at all. She focused her attention more on Danny. "Are you happy, Danny?"

Danny cleared his throat awkwardly. "I am." He ducked his head down to avoid beaming right at Melissa and hoped that he wasn't blushing too much. Judging by the way Steve's arm tightened around his shoulders, he had  failed at that mission.

"That's good." Melissa seemed honestly glad for them. "It's why I bowed out, you know."

"Lynn?"

Danny looked over at Steve and saw that he was watching something behind Melissa. Lynn was currently approaching the bench, and Melissa had turned to look at her.

"Hey, honey," Melissa said. Wait, _honey_?

Lynn leaned down and then they were kissing. On the _lips_. Now that "honey" comment made more sense. But Danny's brain short-circuited at the unexpected sight of them kissing. He checked to see how Steve was reacting and saw that he looked similarly shocked. Danny was relieved to know that he wasn't hallucinating.

Lynn pulled back and immediately straightened when she saw Steve and Danny. Her smile turned brittle and a little nervous.

Steve waved weakly. "Hey, Lynn."

"Hey." She sat down next to Melissa, who took Lynn's hand and interlaced their fingers. They had briefly held hands at the beginning of the double date, but Danny hadn't thought that it indicating anything but friendship at the time. Now, the gesture seemed romantic

"Are you guys girlfriends or something?" Danny blurted out. He frowned when he realized how blunt his question sounded.

Melissa giggled. She looked happier than Danny had ever seen her. "We are."

"Oh," Steve said. Danny rolled his eyes at Steve's brilliant commentary. _Oh._

Melissa giggled again, and Lynn laughed with a snort before smirking at Steve and Danny. "You guys didn't think you were special, did you?"

"I, uh... no." Steve replied. "This is just a little surprising, that's all."

Melissa beamed and then leaned into whisper something in Lynn's ear that made her chuckle. Apparently, they were having some kind of private joke. Which would make sense with them apparently being girlfriends and all.

"So, how did this happen anyway?" Danny gestured vaguely at Melissa and Lynn.

Lynn smiled. "Well, we got to know each other better after the double date--"

"--and then we became friends," Melissa continued.

"--and then more than that--"

"--and now here we are."

Lynn smiled softly at Melissa and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. Here we are."

With the way they finished each other's sentences, the sweet touches, and the lovestruck expressions on their faces, Danny couldn't help thinking that Melissa and Lynn looked like they belonged together.

"You guys seem really happy together," Steve said. Evidently, he and Danny had been having similar thoughts.

Lynn grinned over at them. "And to think, it didn't even take us seven years like it did with you and Danny." Melissa laughed at that, and then the device she was holding buzzed in her hand.

"It looks like our table is ready," Melissa told Lynn. They stood up, still holding hands

"It was fun catching up," Lynn said. "We'll see you guys around, I guess."

"See you," Steve said.

Lynn nodded, and then she and Melissa walked over to the hostess to go get their table.

Danny gazed over at Steve, who was staring after Lynn and Melissa in some kind of daze. "Hey, babe, are you all right?"

Steve shook off his reverie and released a soft laugh. "I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting our ex-girlfriends to get together."

"I can't say I was expecting that either."

Steve snickered as he thought of something. "I guess we did end up switching the teams after all."

Danny rolled his eyes, but he smiled at the reminder of Steve's words at the volleyball game during the double date. "Switching up the teams was a good decision."

Steve dropped a kiss on Danny's temple. "Best decision I ever made."

Danny leaned his head against Steve's shoulder, content that he was together with Steve and glad that Melissa and Lynn seemed happy as well.


End file.
